File Submission Questions

Quick Tips

The BEST format to upload files is a PDF. The PDF on your screen will be the same as on ours. Some software like MSWord will look different on different computers..

Use Adobe Native files such as Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop if possible..

Include ALL fonts and Images, unless PDF..

Send ALL files as 1 up, if you send us a sheet with 10up (ten on a sheet) we must take the time to change it..

100% size and include bleeds. (if you are not sure what bleeds are, see the additional information on the right.).

Publisher: Must use CMYK mode, then save to PDF. Make sure to use black as a text color, not Automatic..

MS Word: Save to .doc (not .docx) or save as PDF. Make sure to use black as a text color, not Automatic..

Make sure any crop marks are "offset" meaning they do not intrude onto the artwork.

Can I Use Graphics From The Internet?

Using graphics you found online can be problematic. Often there are issues of copyright, but even if you own the copyright, more often than not web graphics do not have the quality to print. General rule of thumb; if the graphic is not at least 2MB large, or does not look clear when you zoom in on your screen, it will not be large enough to print with.

The best graphics are vector files: .eps or .ai files.

What About Photo's From My Phone?

Large file size is still the key. We have pretty good luck with photos taken with a smart phone BUT it is very important when emailing them that when your phone asks you select to send "Large" or better yet "Full-Size" images.

Why Does The Color Look Different On My Screen?

On a screen, be it your monitor or your phone, images use a color model called RBG, which stands for Red Blue and Green light. These three colors can get you any color that can be seen.

Printing uses ink instead of light. The four inks used are CMYK, or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Some combination of these inks creates the color you see. If you were to zoom in on a printed image you might even see dots of all four colors.

However CMYK cannot print every color. And some colors are very hard to match, especially in the blue part of the spectrum where the human eye is very sensitive.

Another factor is the screen itself. Your computer monitor may or not be calibrated, so it will not even match other color monitors!

If color is critical to your job, always see if we can provide you with a printed proof.

What Is A "Bleed" Anyway?

A bleed is a term that represents extra image designed to be trimmed off of the final product, allowing the color or image to go smoothly to the edge. Without bleed image the slightest variation in trimming will result in those ugly strips of white paper at the edge of your design.

It is common in the printing industry to have an extra 1/8 inch (.125) on all sides of a job with bleeds. In essence that means that a 3 1/2 x 2 business card actually needs 3 and 3/4 x 2 1/4 inch worth of art BUT anything you WANT to print cannot be too close to the final 3 1/2 x 2 size or it risks getting trimmed off too!

Some software like InDesign has special bleed settings that make it easy to design with bleeds in mind.

If your job is not designed to have graphics or images that print right to the edge, then you do not have to worry about bleeds.